This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A battery cell has been proposed as a clean, efficient and environmentally responsible power source for electric vehicles and various other applications. Batteries are rechargeable and can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes so as to efficiently fill available space in electric vehicles. For example, the battery cell may be prismatic in shape to facilitate a stacking of the battery cells. A plurality of individual battery cells can be provided in a battery pack to provide an amount of power sufficient to operate electric vehicles.
Battery cells are known to generate heat during operation and as a result of a charge cycle when recharging. When overheated or otherwise exposed to high-temperature environments, undesirable effects can impact the operation of the batteries. Cooling systems are typically employed to militate against the undesirable overheating conditions. The cooling systems may include cooling plates or fins that may have channels through which a coolant flows in a heat transfer relationship with the battery cells.
Conventional cooling systems have included a liquid cooling plate disposed on one side of a battery pack having a plurality of cells or cell modules for cooling that individual battery pack.
There is a continuing need for a battery cooling system that maximizes efficient cooling of the battery cells with minimum delta temperatures. Desirably, the battery cooling system and method maintains uniform surface temperatures over the battery cells and efficiently transfers heat away from the cells using liquid cooling.